Donna Sue Theriot
December 20, 2017
Former Tarpon to transfer to Tulane
December 20, 2017
One of the only local college football players competing in the SEC is going to be coming back home in 2018.
South Lafourche graduate and Vanderbilt offensive lineman Bailey Granier announced on social media last week that he will be transferring from the Commodores for the 2018 season.
This past weekend, he added to the story, announcing that he will be continuing his career for Tulane, who will be playing their third season under head coach Willie Fritz.
Granier, a 6-foot, 6-inch, 310-pound lineman played as a reserve and swing lineman for the Commodores for the past three seasons after redshirting his first year with the team.
Granier is a Vanderbilt graduate, which means he can play immediately for Tulane without needing to sit out a season.
He announced his original decision to transfer on Twitter and penned a heart-felt note, which he posted on social media.
Granier visited friends and family at home this past weekend and said he fielded interest from several schools before deciding to join the Green Wave.
“I’d like to thank Vanderbilt Univer-
sity and Coach (Derrick) Mason for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to attend and graduate from one of the best universities in the country,” Granier penned. “I’m so thankful for everyone who has invested their time in me and in my college career. I have made so many memories and truly cherished my time here at Vanderbilt.”
For Granier, he will have one year to play one season at Tulane because of his redshirt.
The Green Wave will be landing a quality football player and also an excellent student-athlete off the field
Granier landed at Vanderbilt out of high school after a solid career with the Tarpons.
At South Lafourche, Granier was the team’s two-year starting left tackle and an allaround force on the offensive line for a team that made the state playoffs in each of his final two seasons.
Granier earned Honorable Mention All-State Honors as a senior, while earning First-Team All-District and First-Team All-Region. He also recorded 90 pancake blocks in his final prep season, which helped him generate collegiate interest from several schools around the country before picking Vanderbilt.
With the Commodores, Granier sat out 2014 to redshirt, then has served as a reserve lineman and spot starter for each of the past three seasons with the team.
In 2015 as a redshirt freshman, Granier logged 192 snaps and earned six pancakes.
In 2016, he was a little beat up, but played nine games as the team’s top reserve lineman, helping Vanderbilt earn a spot in the Independence Bowl.
This past season, Granier played in every game and made a couple starts, while also working heavily with the team’s special teams units.
Granier is a stellar student in the classroom and is a former member of the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
He is on schedule to graduate in May, which is what is going to make his transfer to Tulane possible for the fall.
Granier was briefly re-recruited after he announced his decision to leave, but he quickly picked Tulane – a school he also heavily considered out of high school.
“Thank you to everyone that helped me and has shown interest throughout this process,” Granier said in a social media post on Saturday. “However, after careful consideration, I have decided that I will be graduate transferring to Tulane to play my fifth year and attend grad school.”
In the post, Granier shared a photo of himself with Fritz, which would seem to indicate that he’s taken a visit to the campus recently.
The Green Wave finished one win short of a bowl game in 2017, but are expected to be even better next year as the team continues to grow into Fritz’s spread offensive scheme.
ROBERTSON EARNS HIGH PRAISE
A Thibodaux High school graduate cashed in an outstanding true freshman season with two postseason honors.
Louisiana Tech freshman defensive back Amik Robertson had a masterful true freshman season for the Bulldogs, which earned himself Second-Team All-Conference USA and also Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Robertson was nothing short of masterful for the Bulldogs this past season, leading the team in interceptions with four, while also scoring 6.5 tackles for a loss.
Robertson posted 58 tackles and was one of just four true freshmen in the country to record four or more interceptions on the season.
What passes he didn’t intercept, he closely defended, recording six break-ups and a quarterback hurry, while also leading the Bulldogs in interception return yards with 96 on the season.
Louisiana Tech finished the season with two-straight wins to earn a 6-6 record and bowl eligibility
The Bulldogs will play SMU in the DXL Frisco Bowl tonight.
The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
